Today I want to share how you find your niche. But first, why is it so important?

Specialists earn more

You’ve probably heard many times that specialists make more money than generalists. And it’s absolutely true. Accounting professionals who specialise make more money. Whereas firms that take on anybody end up running themselves ragged, trying to deal with too many different clients and too many different services.

My tip is to make sure you're clear in your own mind about not only your niche, but the profile of your ideal client. And to help, I’m going to share the three main types of niche. (Just to make it easy, they all begin with S!)

#1:Sector

Are there any sectors that you’re particularly interested in or already have clients in? It might be doctors or dentists, the legal profession or the IT industry. Think about the industry you’re most fascinated by and build on it.

I can already hear you thinking “I can't write a book. I'm an accountant. And anyway, where would I find the time?”

The good news is that nowadays technology makes it much easier than you think. One process I teach shows you how to write a book in less than seven hours. And whether you work in tax planning or business growth, your book will ensure you’re seen as an expert and win you business.

#2: Blog – regularly

Regularly is the key word here. Blogging once and then forgetting about it won't establish your credibility. You need to post at least once a month or, even better, once every fortnight or week. One tip is to write posts in batches – if you try to write one a week, things always crop up to stop you. Instead, write a year's...

A glossy brochure doesn’t only grab people’s attention. It also increases what they’re willing to pay.

In this post I want to share three reasons why you need to have a professional-looking brochure for all your accounting, bookkeeping and tax services.

# 1: The Power of Context

The Power of context is part of price psychology. What it means is that the context in which we deliver our solution influences people's expectation of what it will cost.

Back in 1983, one of the world's leading behavioural economists, Richard Thaler, carried out an experiment to prove this. He asked a group of executives to imagine they were lying on a beach on a hot day, and that a friend offered to get them a beer from the only place nearby – a small run-down grocery store. When he asked the most they’d be willing to pay, the average was $1.50. But, when he asked another group, changing the grocery store to the bar of a smart hotel, the average increased to $2.65.

Yet time and time again I see two massive mistakes that accountants and bookkeepers keep making. And it has a real impact on their businesses.

So what are those mistakes and how can they be avoided?

Mistake 1 – Using fixed prices on a website

Don’t do this. Seriously. Don’t.

Fixed pricing is not value pricing. You cannot value price until you have found out what actually constitutes value for that particular person. The only way to do that is to have a conversation – either face-to-face or online.

Understand the potential client’s circumstances, what they value, what they want, what they need and what their pain points are.

You need to understand all that before you even begin to price.

As well as implying you don’t understand the client’s needs (beyond price) fixed prices on a website are usually far too low.

It’s no surprise really. We are used to using the internet for price...

When I started teaching pricing back in 2000 almost every accountant priced based on time. In the last 15 years or so attitudes amongst accountants changed. They realised the old way no longer worked and that a move to value pricing was more sensible.

That’s great.

But that’s not necessarily what has happened.

Struggling with the concept

Many people are struggling with the concept and instead, time and time again I see fixed prices.

Bad idea remember?

Ok, so it’s better from the customer’s point of view because it’s no longer based on time. Except it is. It’s based on the accountant’s or bookkeeper’s best guess as to how long a job will take.

When it comes to value pricing using a software systemised approach will give you a much better result.

When you ask a client a series of questions they identify – based on their answers – what they value. You in turn come up with a price that meets their perception of value. It makes sense.

When you do that using software in front of a client it’s even more powerful.

Why?

There are three key reasons:

Reason 1 – Greater transparency

The client can see how the price is being built up. There’s transparency, credibility and trust. They know you aren’t just plucking a figure out of the air. They believe you.

Reason 2 – The psychology of putting the customer in control

It’s well known that when the customer feels like they are in control they will spend more money. I can vouch for it. I recently bought a Mac computer online from Apple. I knew exactly what I wanted and its...

Actually I don’t just believe that the old way of pricing – time-based billing – is unethical. At times I think it actually borders on negligence.

But why?

A few years ago AVN founder and head of research Steve Pipe and I were involved in a research study that looked at more than 150 accounting firms to find out what the most successful were doing differently.

As part of the study we looked at what proportion of errors those in the survey found that a previous accountant had made when they took on new clients.

The results were staggering. 45% of firms found mistakes made by the new client’s previous accountant. 42% found things the previous accountant had missed.

Such figures are worrying.

And, whilst you may not think you make mistakes, perhaps one day ask the same question of accountants that have won work from you. You might be surprised.

In this post I’m going to share how to price probate work, and why it’s one of the biggest opportunities for accountants in the UK and elsewhere.

Although originally probate could only be dealt with by lawyers and banks, in September 2014 the rules changed. First, to allow members of the Institute of Chartered Accountants to undertake it. And then, in 2015, all other qualified accountants.

Probate offers accountants such a huge opportunity because:

· It's actually very easy to do! And, because it’s a compliance service and we’re so systematic, accountants are probably even better placed to deliver it than lawyers.

· Banks and lawyers have been overcharging for years… So you could easily make a lot of money by offering a better service at a more competitive price!